The Arrival of Animals, Dogon Myth

"Amma, the creator, made the world . . . "Our creator is a wise and generous god" said a young man, "but there are words in our language for things I've never seen. What are these animals he spoke of? . . . These animals must live in the heavens. We should ask him to send some down to us." . . . It was agreed that a small band of people would climb up to the heavens and take one male and one female of each animal . . . There were giraffes and hippopotamuses, lions, and antelope, beetles, birds and fishes, and everyone other kind of animal you can think of — grazing, running, flying, and swimming above the clouds."